BTO’s Ole Miss Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

1. Couldn’t have asked for a better start to SEC play than that, a dominating win against a ranked opponent, TBA continues to be a tough place for teams to come into. We knew Ole Miss likely was a bit overhyped because of their schedule but still an impressive win that got some nice recognition nationally due to them being ranked.

2. Last game Aidoo struggled and Awaka was really good, this game Aidoo shined. I said it then that having both guys allows Barnes to just kind of ride the hot hand/best matchup and yesterday that was obviously Aidoo. I don’t expect him to give us 24 a night, but the aggression from him was nice to see and is something he needs to continue. Still don’t think he’s hitting enough of the 15’+ footers to be shooting as many of them as he is, but the presence around the rim offensively from him helps us go.

3. We continue to see Gainey’s minutes decreasing as his cold shooting continues, hopefully he stays locked in the engaged and is ready to provide a spark off the bench when his number is called. His decreased role though has also coincided with Mashack’s increased minutes and he’s really shining, and definitely making a case for more minutes. He obviously brings great defense but his ability to drive and create from the lane while also finishing now around the basket is a nice addition, add in that he’s now shooting confidently from outside (over 40% on the year), and his role will only continue to grow.

4. Time will only tell if that was a one off, or a start of improved play, but that was the most complete game we’ve seen so far this year from Tennessee. The rotation got trimmed down to 8 and it looks probable that those 8 will be the guys each and every night. Minutes I’m sure will fluctuate, but identifying your 8 and those guys knowing their role and playing more together should benefit them. You want to continue to improve and play your best ball heading into February and March, imo a big part of that is settling on a rotation and really focusing on those guys, it looks like that’s started happening.

5. I think we can officially declare Zeigler back, and potentially as good if not better than ever. His last 8 games he’s averaging: 31.5mpg 12.4ppg 6.4apg 39.6%3pt 1.6topg 2.1spg That is absolutely elite type PG play from him. He continues to look better and better each time out, and obviously at some point that has to plateau, but any worries or doubts about his recovery and return I think can be dismissed, ZZZ is back.

6. We talked about needing to start conference play out strong given the soft start to the SEC slate, 1-0 was needed. We now head on the road for back to back games that we should absolutely be favored in both, however I take this time to remind everyone that winning on the road in conference play is never easy and should never be taken for granted. Again both upcoming games are very winnable, but I wouldn’t be shocked if we dropped 1, however winning both would set us up in great shape early on.


GBO!!!

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

That 2nd half against Miss was a clinic on offense and defense.

 

[ColinS]

4. Eight man rotation but we had four guys with over 30 minutes. That may not be sustainable but I'm sure Coach Barnes wanted to get off to a good start and just went with the hot hands and intends to spread the minutes a little more moving forward. We have six guys playing well. Two that have hit a wall and bunch of talented guys not getting much opportunity. Just need a couple more to step up. Might be time to see more of one the freshman and less of Gainey.

 

[knoxvol52]

Great assessment as always..

 

[BruisedOrange]

I feel sure Gainey's falloff in shooting has been because they challenged him to improve some other aspects of his game. I'd certainly say we've seem him playing a much more versatile game than he displayed at the start of the season when he was draining 3s out of his hip pocket.

I think as the rest of his game reaches the levels the coaches are demanding, his shooting confidence (really, focus) will return as well. Hopefully it happens this season, maybe by SEC tourney time.

Sometimes it just "clicks" into place for a player. Look at Mashack... from defensive specialist to outside/inside offensive threat with no drop off in defense.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

4. Eight man rotation but we had four guys with over 30 minutes. That may not be sustainable but I'm sure Coach Barnes wanted to get off to a good start and just went with the hot hands and intends to spread the minutes a little more moving forward. We have six guys playing well. Two that have hit a wall and bunch of talented guys not getting much opportunity. Just need a couple more to step up. Might be time to see more of one the freshman and less of Gainey.

You play your best players what they can handle, plenty of national championships teams that had 7/8 man rotations and multiple guys over 30 minutes. As for the freshman, we toyed with lineups and rotations the last 2 months, that time has passed.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Great write up. I think Knecht and Gainey both will have to show Barnes more on defense consistently to keep getting minutes. Mashack plays at an elite level defensively and he closed last season showing that he is more than capable of scoring too.

At some point though both will be needed for their offense and I think both players are willing to keep shooting. DK's low scoring nights he only had 7 or less attempts...so it's more about the rest of the guys getting hot and him simply not being asked to take more shots.

Gainey's only had 1 game (Norfolk) where he failed to shoot at least 30% from the field, so his minutes/lack of offense are more about less minutes on the court he is a volume guy. But if Aidoo is feasting I have no issue with him taking 19 shots either.

So much depth and talent and with Aidoo & Awaka continuing to prove they can score inside we have options at every level.

More impressive for me was the fact even though we scored 90 we held Ole Miss to 64 (their lowest points all season) and that's after they scored 88 or more in 3 of their last 4 games.

 

[The Dog]

I love when BTO gives the , his props

 

[ColinS]

You play your best players what they can handle, plenty of national championships teams that had 7/8 man rotations and multiple guys over 30 minutes. As for the freshman, we toyed with lineups and rotations the last 2 months, that time has passed.

You play your best players what they can handle, plenty of national championships teams that had 7/8 man rotations and multiple guys over 30 minutes. As for the freshman, we toyed with lineups and rotations the last 2 months, that time has passed.

I don't disagree especially if your talking about an NCAA Tournament game or a few pressure points along the way. I'm definately not one that thinks these guys are gonna drop dead because they had a quick turnaround or flew on an airplane like some do, but I can see minutes really start to pile up over what will be 19-21 SEC games in just a few weeks. I think Coach Barnes will look to spread these minutes out a little more on most nights.

 

[The Dog]

17-3, 7-0 in the SEC, until we ain't

 

[lefthander]

Great write up. I think Knecht and Gainey both will have to show Barnes more on defense consistently to keep getting minutes. Mashack plays at an elite level defensively and he closed last season showing that he is more than capable of scoring too.

At some point though both will be needed for their offense and I think both players are willing to keep shooting. DK's low scoring nights he only had 7 or less attempts...so it's more about the rest of the guys getting hot and him simply not being asked to take more shots.

Gainey's only had 1 game (Norfolk) where he failed to shoot at least 30% from the field, so his minutes/lack of offense are more about less minutes on the court he is a volume guy. But if Aidoo is feasting I have no issue with him taking 19 shots either.

So much depth and talent and with Aidoo & Awaka continuing to prove they can score inside we have options at every level.

More impressive for me was the fact even though we scored 90 we held Ole Miss to 64 (their lowest points all season) and that's after they scored 88 or more in 3 of their last 4 games.

Great points here and BTO as always(going to have to put deadline for BTO, been waiting all day ). My biggest take was Ole Miss not physical at all . Long but very thin and small guards. I noticed they went right after Knecht on offense as soon as he entered game. I think there will need to be sets for Knecht to go one on one when teams try to deny the three line. Ms State will probably be different challenge---- not terrifically skilled but really physical. They may need one more big for some minutes when some of the really skilled SEC officiating crews decide to pile up fouls early in the game

 

[omghulkhands]

-We will win most games officiated that way. That crew seemed content to swallow the whistle, and that favors us 99% of the time. It also made this game much more enjoyable to watch due to the pace of play.

Compare it to the UK/UF game where 57 free throws were taken.

-I’ll never forget watching an undefeated ranked team literally just quit with nearly 4 minutes of game time left. That was wild.

 

[DowntownVol]

Great writeup as always, BTO. I am pretty confident that this is going to be the main eight man rotation going forward, but Estrella and/or Phillips are gonna see some minutes when Awake and/or Aidoo inevitably get into foul trouble. Maybe Carr gets a little run occasionally too when the guards get in foul trouble. I just don't really see many minutes for Dilione going forward, which is kind of amazing seeing as how people thought he might be a one-and-done.

 

[DowntownVol]

-We will win most games officiated that way. That crew seemed content to swallow the whistle, and that favors us 99% of the time. It also made this game much more enjoyable to watch due to the pace of play.

Compare it to the UK/UF game where 57 free throws were taken.

-I’ll never forget watching an undefeated ranked team literally just quit with nearly 4 minutes of game time left. That was wild.

We just sapped their will to compete. They gave up on even trying to rebound. If I were Beard, I'd be pretty livid; that was NOT a good look.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

-We will win most games officiated that way. That crew seemed content to swallow the whistle, and that favors us 99% of the time. It also made this game much more enjoyable to watch due to the pace of play.

Compare it to the UK/UF game where 57 free throws were taken.

-I’ll never forget watching an undefeated ranked team literally just quit with nearly 4 minutes of game time left. That was wild.

That possession where we had like 5 ORBs and finished with an Aidoo dunk just broke them completely. If I’m remembering right, they had both 7 footers on the floor for that too.

 

[walkenvol]

3, 3, and more 3. I don’t see why Mashack isn’t getting close to 30 minutes a game right now. He’s really stepped up his game!

 

[ColinS]

-We will win most games officiated that way. That crew seemed content to swallow the whistle, and that favors us 99% of the time. It also made this game much more enjoyable to watch due to the pace of play.

Compare it to the UK/UF game where 57 free throws were taken.

-I’ll never forget watching an undefeated ranked team literally just quit with nearly 4 minutes of game time left. That was wild.

There was somebody in the game thread complaining about officials. Of course there always is. I'm thinking what are you watching? This is exactly what we want.

 

[Chaz-Vol]

1. Couldn’t have asked for a better start to SEC play than that, a dominating win against a ranked opponent, TBA continues to be a tough place for teams to come into. We knew Ole Miss likely was a bit overhyped because of their schedule but still an impressive win that got some nice recognition nationally due to them being ranked.

2. Last game Aidoo struggled and Awaka was really good, this game Aidoo shined. I said it then that having both guys allows Barnes to just kind of ride the hot hand/best matchup and yesterday that was obviously Aidoo. I don’t expect him to give us 24 a night, but the aggression from him was nice to see and is something he needs to continue. Still don’t think he’s hitting enough of the 15’+ footers to be shooting as many of them as he is, but the presence around the rim offensively from him helps us go.

3. We continue to see Gainey’s minutes decreasing as his cold shooting continues, hopefully he stays locked in the engaged and is ready to provide a spark off the bench when his number is called. His decreased role though has also coincided with Mashack’s increased minutes and he’s really shining, and definitely making a case for more minutes. He obviously brings great defense but his ability to drive and create from the lane while also finishing now around the basket is a nice addition, add in that he’s now shooting confidently from outside (over 40% on the year), and his role will only continue to grow.

4. Time will only tell if that was a one off, or a start of improved play, but that was the most complete game we’ve seen so far this year from Tennessee. The rotation got trimmed down to 8 and it looks probable that those 8 will be the guys each and every night. Minutes I’m sure will fluctuate, but identifying your 8 and those guys knowing their role and playing more together should benefit them. You want to continue to improve and play your best ball heading into February and March, imo a big part of that is settling on a rotation and really focusing on those guys, it looks like that’s started happening.

5. I think we can officially declare Zeigler back, and potentially as good if not better than ever. His last 8 games he’s averaging: 31.5mpg 12.4ppg 6.4apg 39.6%3pt 1.6topg 2.1spg That is absolutely elite type PG play from him. He continues to look better and better each time out, and obviously at some point that has to plateau, but any worries or doubts about his recovery and return I think can be dismissed, ZZZ is back.

6. We talked about needing to start conference play out strong given the soft start to the SEC slate, 1-0 was needed. We now head on the road for back to back games that we should absolutely be favored in both, however I take this time to remind everyone that winning on the road in conference play is never easy and should never be taken for granted. Again both upcoming games are very winnable, but I wouldn’t be shocked if we dropped 1, however winning both would set us up in great shape early on.


GBO!!!

Appreciate write up. One other thing that's lost sometimes is how really good of a FT shooting team this team is. Past years there would be multiple 60% and below guys and team would miss tons of front end of one and ones. There's no weak links from the line this year.

 

[TBvol]

Thanks BTO
Been looking for this since the game last night

 

[rdk4121]

I'm fully out on Gainey at this point. He doesn't really bring much on offense or defense. I would far prefer that we give those minutes to Freddie Dilione. He can create for himself and others, and he seems to be a really solid on ball defender from his limited minutes this year, though I think he falls asleep off ball too often.

 

[LibertyVol]

3, 3, and more 3. I don’t see why Mashack isn’t getting close to 30 minutes a game right now. He’s really stepped up his game!

I agree. The problem is whose minutes does he get?

 

[VolArmy74]

My only additional wish vs what actually happened last night would have been less than 37 minutes for ZZ/35 for Santi/32 Aidoo/31 JJJ. There was no need for the starters to play the last 4 minutes. Have the bench guys just not been getting it done in practice?

 

[TheMookieMonster]

It was a great performance. If we can find that type of consistency in March, we’ll be a hard out in the tournament.

I guess the only thing I’ll add is Knecht continues to be frustrated by physical defense and does not handle pressure well. I’m kind of a bit shocked. I’m sure he’ll figure it out, but his play right now is a long way from the national player of the year type performance we saw against North Carolina and Illinois.

I still think that if we want to win the conference, we need him to be closer to that player. I totally agree that spreading the wealth and having so many guys in double figures (or really close) is a good thing, but to win a conference and make a final four you need “that guy” and Knecht has the tools, he just has hit a bit of a wall. Hoping Barnes can help him figure it out. He has so much potential.

 

[walkenvol]

I agree. The problem is whose minutes does he get?

Gainey’s and a few from ZZZ

 

[cncchris33]

You play your best players what they can handle, plenty of national championships teams that had 7/8 man rotations and multiple guys over 30 minutes. As for the freshman, we toyed with lineups and rotations the last 2 months, that time has passed.

Toying with the lineup, and unnecessarily playing your starters 32-37 minutes in a game that was well in hand midway thru the 2nd half are two different things. No reason not to give Estrella some run, at worst. I'm fine with it being a teaching moment to not just hand Dilione PT until his defense reflects that he's earned it. We are deep at guard, and he isn't a necessity, perhaps. And Carr and Phillips are depth pieces. But JP Estrella is the next man up if Aidoo or Awaka go down, and both have been nicked up at times. That's a guy that should have played some yeaterday.